Man's Best Friend
by iloveromance
Summary: A life-changing visit to Frasier's has Niles seeing his father's beloved Jack Russel Terrier in a new light. A Christmas gift to LeighAnn415 inspired by her wonderful birthday story, "Under the Moon"
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is a Christmas gift for Leigh Ann with many thanks for writing the story "Under the Moon" for my birthday. I have cherished your friendship and support and I hope that we will be friends forever! *Hugs***_

The traffic light changed from green to yellow and Niles carefully slowed his car to a rolling stop. He paid no attention to the cars beside him who chose to accelerate in an effort to avoid the impending red light. It was truly a pathetic sight. One would think that Seattle drivers would be more appreciative of laws that kept them safe on the road. If his father only knew what was happening in his beloved Emerald City.

The ridiculous thought made Niles chuckle, for Martin Crane was probably the last person in Seattle concerned with drivers running yellow lights. He could count on one hand the number of times that his father complained about Seattle driers, driving too carefully , which translated into driving much too slowly. And Martin made no secret that he wasn't entirely thrilled with his youngest son's driving habits. But Niles was not about to change his ways.

Despite being part of the Martin Crane gene pool, Niles knew that he and his father were worlds apart. Their tastes and opinions about life were as different as night and day. As much as he loved his father, his mind, as he drove around the city was not of his family or even Daphne. Instead, Niles found himself thinking of Eddie.

Normally he wouldn't give his father's often annoying Jack Russell Terrier a second thought, but now everything had changed.

He glanced into the rear-view mirror, smiling when he saw the bouquet of flowers that he'd purchased at Pike Place Market only minutes before. But as he pulled into the parking lot of his next destination, he couldn't' help but feel a bit of apprehension. This was definitely a new experience for him and he was sure that his father would be stunned when he found out where Niles had gone. Come to think of it, his impromptu shopping trip was sure to raise a few eyebrows in the Crane household. It would definitely take a lot of explaining but he knew it would be worth it in the end.

After all, it was all in the name of love.


	2. Chapter 2

As he entered the store, Niles could hardly believe he was there. Everywhere he looked there were images of animals; cats, dogs birds and fish. It was a pet owner's dream. He looked around praying that no one saw him, for he simply couldn't take the ridicule. He'd been through that before.

Several years earlier, in an effort to make Maris happy, he'd made an impromptu stop at a local pet store. Just days before while on a shopping trip, she'd shown interest in a stray cat that approached them as they returned to their front door. And so, he was determined to find her a pet of her own. A cat was perfect. Of course, there was the issue of shedding and all sorts of germs and disease, but he loved his wife more than anything and he was willing to brave the elements in order to make her happy.

More often than not, his own presence in her bedroom, but it didn't mean that he couldn't show her that he cared.

Unfortunately, he was seen by one of Maris' acquaintances as he made his way into the store to adopt the perfect cat. When word got back to Maris, she'd ridiculed him for months on end. The attempt to make her happy had angered her instead and things had quickly gone downhill from there.

Her latest trip to Europe was the last straw. She hadn't even bothered to let him know that she was leaving and had he not asked Marta about his missing wife, he might never have known. Wives who loved their husbands didn't flee to a foreign country to be alone. He was certain that she had a new man; or worse, was skipping continents. He was hurt of course, and in a fit of anger, he'd called her overseas, demanding an explanation. He'd gotten one all right. As she ranted and screamed making him feel lower than pond scum he was wounded beyond measure.

And so that night, he found himself at his brother's doorstep, looking for solace and comfort. But he never dreamed that he'd find love. And all because of Eddie.

Now as he looked around at the wonderland of dog toys, food and supplies, he knew that he'd made the right decision. Since that fateful visit to Frasier's when Eddie stole the letter that Niles had begun writing to Daphne, everything had changed.

It was Eddie who had given Niles the courage to pour out his feelings to the woman he loved so deeply. And to have his brother's blessing meant the world to him. But it was Eddie to whom Niles was truly grateful and he vowed to make sure that the sweet little dog knew how much he was loved.


End file.
